The Deep Blue Sea: Synopsis

Master chronicler of post-War England, Davies directs Rachel Weisz as a woman whose overpowering, obsessive love alienates the men around her and destroys her well being. The film is an adaptation of British playwright Terence Rattigan's 1952 play.

In a deeply vulnerable performance Weisz is the latest incarnation of Hester Collyer, the wife of a High Court judge (British theatre actor Simon Russell Beale), a free spirit trapped in a passionless marriage. Her encounter with Freddie Page, a troubled former Royal Air Force pilot (Tom Hiddleston, Thor, Midnight in Paris, War Horse, The Avengers) throws her life in turmoil, as their erotic relationship leaves her emotionally stranded and physically isolated. Nearly abandoned by Freddie, Hester attempts to win him back through a desperate gesture. This only serves to estrange her more from the men in her life and reality itself.

Through flashbacks, Terence Davies creates memorable cinematic compositions against the backdrop of post-war England. His signature style includes beautiful tracking shots as well as the use of popular music of the day including Samuel Barber’s majestic Opus for Violin and Orchestra. Besides his two acclaimed semi-autobiographical features Distant Voices, Still Lives and The Long Day Closes, Davies’ films include The House of Mirth, The Neon Bible, and Of Time and the City, his masterful nonfiction exploration of his native city, Liverpool.